In chemical or petrochemical plants etc., it is often necessary to convey fluidic materials (e.g. liquids) from one location to another. The conveyance of such material normally includes equipment such as conduits or pipes, storage or reaction vessels etc., which are generally manufactured from metal. The joining of separate pieces of the conveying equipment is generally achieved by welding the necessary pieces together. For example, when joining adjacent ends of pipe together, it is common for each end to be provided with flanges, that are welded to each respective end, which are then bolted together to form a seal. Such flanges may also be provided on holding tanks and other such vessels so that such vessels can be connected to pipes or other vessels. Alternatively, the connections between lengths of pipe or other equipment may be welded directly together (i.e. butt welded) to form the seal. In either case, it will be appreciated that each welded joint or section must form a complete seal so as to prevent leakage of the materials being transported. This is particularly the case when handling potentially hazardous materials such as flammable or toxic liquids.
For reasons of safety, it is often necessary to periodically test the integrity of the welds used in joining the various pieces of equipment (such as pipes, vessels, flanges and the like) together.
The prior art provides various tools for conducting weld integrity tests on conduits. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,131,441 and 5,844,127 (the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference) teach weld testing tools that isolate a particular section of a pipe (such section including a weld) and subject the section to a high pressure fluid within a constrained annular space defined by the tool and the inner surface of the pipe. The pressure of the fluid within the annular space is monitored whereby any pressure drop signifies a leak in the weld.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,791 (the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) teaches an apparatus for testing welds used to secure nozzles. As shown in FIG. 1 of this reference, the apparatus comprises a first seal plate that is placed on the inner surface of the vessel (for example) and a second seal plate that is secured to the outer, flange portion of the nozzle. In this manner, the nozzle volume is sealed and a pressurizing fluid is introduced therein. Once the volume is filled, the pressure is monitored as above and any leakage detected. Although this apparatus provides an accurate and efficient means of testing welds on nozzles, the size and weight of the apparatus makes it inconvenient for use on large nozzles.
Further, applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/771,158 (publication number US 2008/0121044), provides tools for testing the integrity of welds on pipes and the like. The entire disclosure of such application is incorporated herein by reference.
There exists a need for more easily sealing a section of a long pipe for conducting the type of stress tests mentioned above. In addition, there exists a need for an apparatus that is capable of exerting axial stresses on welds during such testing so as to simulate a “worst case scenario”. In particular, there is a need for an apparatus that can be easily mounted on an open end of a pipe so as to effectively seal the pipe opening and maintain such seal during high pressurization of the pipe. Such apparatus would not subject the pipe to any damage or otherwise cause weakness thereto.